


Putting on a Brave Face

by Laurana117



Category: Thor - All Media Types
Genre: Angst, Break Up, F/M, Human AU, Insecurity, Longing, M/M, promises broken
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-08-17
Updated: 2015-08-22
Packaged: 2018-04-15 03:42:28
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 2
Words: 10,436
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4591665
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Laurana117/pseuds/Laurana117
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Some people sabotage relationships. And then there's Loki Laufeyson. </p><p>Afraid that Thor will leave him to hook up with other people, Loki offers to have them go on a break for a year and have sex with as many people as they want. Thor reluctantly agrees.</p><p>Thus begins Loki's year of singlehood where he meets new people, travels internationally and adopts a cat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. The Lost Weekend

**Author's Note:**

> I love stories where the couple separates and misses each other.

Loki Laufeyson has never been the happiest of men. He’s hard to please, an incessant perfectionist, and expects the best from the world.

In spite of it all, he’d managed to find Thor Odinson. Who was undoubtedly the love of his life. Thor had made Loki happy in a way that no ever had. And Loki knew he loved him.

They had been together for six years now. They had been living together for four.

Thor had tried to talk Loki into a few terrible ideas over the years. Mostly the idea of a dog or a cat. Loki didn’t want a pet. A pet meant that they were entering the part of their life where they had a little creature dependent upon them for care living in their house. And at twenty eight Loki didn’t feel ready for that commitment.

Thor just smiles at Loki fondly every time he says that. And he agrees with him.

Everything was going well. Loki liked his job and was making enough money to save a little each month, which was adding up to quite a lot in his savings. He was planning a vacation for them. They don’t travel enough and it’s a shame.

And it’s then when it all gets shaken up.

Their good friend Sif called Loki one afternoon in tears and asked him to meet up with her. Loki is a little hesitant because he’s pretty sure that she’s more Thor’s friend than his, but she says that she doesn’t want to see Thor right now. She wants someone to be miserable with, and apparently Loki is perfect for the job.

They meet up after Loki gets off work. They go to a coffee shop that they both like and sit down.

“So what’s up?” Loki asks as he sips his green tea. He loves coffee, but not enough to drink it so close to bed time. Thor has domesticated him quite well over the years.

“Victor and I broke up.” Sif said with a sniff. Her hair is all messy and dirty and her eyes have red rims. She has been crying for a while. Loki doesn’t know what to do. He has a lot of female friends, but they’re usually stronger than him and don’t cry nearly as much as his male friends.

“Oh.” Loki said. He looks down at his teacup. “I’m sorry.” He said.

Sif nods and looks away. She looks really miserable. “I guess I knew that it would happen.” She admits with a shrug. “He was always looking at other girls.”

Loki thinks back. He doesn’t remember Victor looking at too many girls. But Sif spent a great deal of time with her boyfriend, so she was sure to see things Loki missed.

“You know how men are.” Sif said sadly. “They aren’t built for commitment. They’re built and programed to have sex with as many people as they can. I always knew monogamy was a sham. And I guess it got to be too much for him.”

“Not all men are like that!” Loki defended his gender. “Thor and I—“

“You and Thor are different. You two really love each other. But Victor was not like you.” Sif said. “And he wasn’t ready for a relationship like that.”

Loki can tell how crushed she is. She had been planning their wedding, and it must have scared Victor off. He can sympathize with both of them. There is a part of him that wants to shack up with Thor and make sure no one else can have him. But then that would require a _marriage_ and Loki has never believed in marriage. If you love someone you don’t need a religious or a legal thing saying so.

Thor has never even hinted at marriage with Loki, which is fine with him. But Loki knew that Sif had wanted to marry Victor.

“Hey listen.” Loki said. “You two broke up. Which means that now you can focus on yourself. Why don’t you take some time and do something nice for yourself?”

“I really just wanted to get married. I’m getting old and I want to settle down. But it looks like I have to start all over.” Sif looked down sadly. “And what’s to say that the next guy I meet won’t leave me again for other girls? Why even bother with marriage.”

Loki had never seen Sif look this sad.

“You’ll meet someone!” He said. “I’m sure of it.”

But Loki couldn’t get Sif’s words out of his head. _Men aren’t built monogamy. They’re programmed to stray._

And like a poison he couldn’t stop thinking about his own relationship. He and Thor had been together since they were 22 and 23, and six years had gone by. What if Thor was getting tired of him? What if Thor wanted to have sex with other people?

The thought of it left a bad taste in Loki’s mouth. He didn’t like the idea of Thor having sex with nameless and faceless other people. He was Loki’s. Loki didn’t want anyone else knowing what Thor liked in bed. Those were his secrets.

But when Loki went home that day he saw Thor in all his muscular glory and he couldn’t stop thinking about how Thor must want someone new to do sexual things with. Loki had to be a bit boring after six years.

“Is everything okay?” Thor asked when they were eating dinner.

“For me yeah. But Victor and Sif broke up.” Loki said as he stirred his soup.

Thor looked sad. “Oh no!” He said. “That’s terrible! I thought they were getting married?”

“Apparently Victor didn’t like the commitment and wanted to see other people. I had to listen to Sif rail about how men can’t commit and just want to have sex with everyone.” Loki said miserably.

“Oh she was just upset. She knows that all men aren’t like that.” Thor said. “Don’t you agree?”

Thor set his hand on Loki’s and Loki gulped. “Sure.” He lied.

But Loki couldn’t stop thinking about it. When he and Thor went out on a date on Friday, Loki watched like a hawk to see if Thor was looking at other people. Prettier and hotter people and wanting them. But he didn’t catch it if Thor did look.

Loki looked around the little house he and Thor lived in and wondered if Thor wanted somewhere else.

The doubts grew until one night Loki snuck out of bed with Thor, put some boxers on and went into the little living room with his laptop.

He looked around online for some small studio apartments, cheap but still a little safe.

He had a plan forming.

Loki broached the subject three days later.

Thor had known something was up with Loki for two days and finally caved and said, “Tell me what’s wrong. I want to fix it.”

They were sitting on the couch together watching a baking show. Thor liked cooking.

“I’ve been thinking about Sif and Victor.” Loki said.

“They’re both moving on. You know this.” Thor said. “There’s nothing to worry about.”

“I just can’t stop thinking about why they broke up.” Loki said. He looked over at Thor. “They broke up because Victor wanted to have sex with other people. And I keep thinking that you might leave me for the same reason.”

Thor looked offended. “Do you really think I would leave you just to fuck some other people?” He said loudly. “Why would you think that?”

“It’s just that Sif is right. Men are programmed to want someone else after a few years. And I’m worried that my time with you will be up soon.”

“Loki you’re crazy. I love you, I don’t want to hook up with strangers.” Thor said.

“You say that now, but what about in two years when my novelty has worn off?”

“Are you even listening to yourself? Loki. We’ve been together for years. We made it through the three year mark, I’m pretty sure I’m here to stay.” Thor said.

“I know. That’s why I’ve been thinking. I have a plan.” He said.

Thor opened his mouth. But Loki just held a hand up.

“Hear me out.” Loki said. “Evolutionarily speaking, we’re both men. We both want to impregnate as many women as possible so that we can pass our genes on. So I thought, why don’t we take a break for a while and hook up with other people. And then in a year if we still want to be together we can get back together. We’ll get the need to diversify sexual partners out of our system before we get back together. That way we can stay together longer.”

“Loki that is a terrible plan. Break up, hook up with other people for a year and then get back together? That’s insanity.” Thor said. “I don’t think we need to do that.”

“I think it’s a good idea.” Loki said. “Think about it, haven’t you wanted to have sex with other people?”

“I guess I think about it sometimes. But then I think about actually doing it and I don’t want to. I like having sex with you. Didn’t I tell you I was tired of one night stands when we got together?”

“People change their opinions.”

“Not about who I want to have sex with.” Thor argued. Then he looked over at Loki. “Do _you_ want to have sex with other people?”

Loki grimaced. “Not really.” He said.

“Then it’s settled. We should stay together. Unless you want a break. Do you want a break?”

No. Loki liked being with Thor. And being around Thor. It felt nice. But he’d started feeling this anxiety lately so it was hard to enjoy being with Thor.

“I feel anxious. Now that I’m thinking about it.” Loki admitted. “I don’t like the idea of you leaving me. I can handle you having sex with other people for a year and then coming back to me. I think it would give me a lot less to worry about.”

Thor sighed and let his head fall into his hands. He looked so tired sitting there. “Would it really make you feel better?” He asked. “If we lived apart for a year?”

“I think so.”

“And after a year we would get back together?”

“Yeah.”

“I can’t believe I’m doing this. But fine.” Thor said. “Let’s take a break. But only for a year.”

Loki didn’t feel excited about it. But he knew that this would help them. This would make them a stronger couple. Hopefully.

“But I want some ground rules set.” Thor said.

Loki nodded. “Okay.” He said.

“Neither of us are allowed to date or start a new relationship in our year apart. We’re doing this to fix our relationship and so we can feel better when we get together. So no dating.” Thor said. “Casual flings and hook ups are fine.” He cringed during the last statement.

Loki nodded. “I agree.” He said.

“We won’t tell our friends what we’re doing. We’ll just say we’re on a break and we’re not interested in meeting someone new yet.” Thor said.

Loki nodded again. “That sounds reasonable.”

“I don’t know what to do about the house. We both live here, and I would rather not see the people you hook up.” Thor looked sick as he said the last part.

Loki put his hand over Thor’s. “It’ll be okay.” Loki said. “I was looking at apartments and I found a cheap studio across town near my work. I can move out since this was all my idea.”

Thor threw his hands up. “Of course you’ve already picked out a place to live.” He sounded exasperated.

They talked about how they were going to split the finances up for the year and then they went to bed.

The next weekend Loki filled his car with stuff and set off to move into his new home.

He’d picked out the studio apartment because it was a lot like the little place he’d lived in during college. Where he’d lived off of sunflower seeds and bananas for weeks on end. It had been a fun time. For a short time he had a roommate living with him in his little studio, and it had been that roommate that had introduced him to Thor and changed his life.

Loki had already ordered a small mattress off of the internet and it had been delivered a day before.

It took three days of setting stuff up, shopping and cleaning before the little place felt a little like a home. Loki had tried not to cry when he said goodbye to Thor. He told himself that this was just temporary. He and Thor needed this time apart. Even though Thor was now free to do whatever he wanted with whoever he wanted, it was better than having him leave Loki later.

Loki spent the first month on his own working nonstop and then not knowing what to do when he got home. He and Thor always spent their evenings together, watching television or going on dates. Or just having sex.

Without Thor around Loki didn’t really know what to do.

So he went to a local bookstore and browsed the titles. He hardly had the time to read these days. But he had a little bit more time than usual. He picked a few novels out and was excited when he got home.

He settled into his new comfy chair and then realized that he could have coffee and stay up all night reading. Thor wasn’t around to stop him. Thor had put an end to Loki’s all nighters, because before they were living together Loki would often stay up all night writing his books. And Thor didn’t like it because sleep is important for a person’s health.

But Loki could do it now.

Loki is only a part time author, he works during the day at a clothing firm. His coworker Natasha realized that something was up a week after he had been living on his own.

“What’s going on?” She asked one morning when Loki walked in with coffee. He’d had an all nighter the night before, so he had these huge bags under his eyes.

“Nothing.” Loki said.

“Did you and your boyfriend break up?” Natasha asked.

“How did you know I had a boyfriend?”

“We’ve been working together for two years. I know you have a boyfriend. And you haven’t called him in between his shifts all week. Did you guys break up?”

“Yeah we did. We decided to take a break. I had to move out.” Loki admitted.

“That’s rough.” Natasha said. “I think I know just what will cheer you up.”

“What?”

“Bar hopping!” She said happily.

Loki grimaced. “I haven’t done that in years.”

“It’s never too late. My boyfriend and a bunch of our friends are all going bar hopping tonight if you want to join us.”

So Loki went barhopping with Natasha. He met Bucky Barnes, Steve Rogers, Sam Wilson, Clint Barton and Bruce Banner. And he quite liked them all.

Sif called Loki the next week.

“I heard about you and Thor.” She started the phone call off with.

Loki was sorting his laundry. “Oh?” He asked.

“And I wanted to ask if you were okay. I know I was Thor’s friend first, but I’m your friend now. Do you need anything?”

Loki stood up. Was Sif serious? Did she really care enough about Loki?

“I’m fine. But I’ve been a bit lonely. We should hang out sometime.” Loki said. “Although not in a bar. I feel like I just spent all last weekend in the bar.”

Sif agrees to meet up with him at the same coffee shop the next day and they get together and talk about life. They carefully avoid Thor, for which Loki is grateful. He isn’t ready to hear about how Thor is or who Thor has hooked up with already.

“I went to the bars with my coworker and a bunch of her friends and had a really good time.” Loki told her. “We should go sometime. Now that both of us are single.”

Sif’s eyes light up. “That sounds fun. Fandral and Hogunn have never been big bar people.”

Loki waved it off. “They’re sticks in the mud. You know that a party isn’t a party unless I’m there.”

Sif knew from the early days of their friendship that this is true. It was always Loki who got the wildest at parties.

After that Natasha can tell that Loki is happy but just a little lonely. So in her own perfect way, she decides to fix the problem.

“My friend Nick has kittens. His cat was pregnant and he didn’t know.” Natasha said one day a month after Thor and Loki had broken up.

“Uh-huh.” Loki said as he typed away.

“And I was wondering if you wanted one.”

Loki looks over at her. “Do I look like a guy who wants a kitten?”

“You look lonely. I bet adopting a cat would solve that.”

“I don’t want a cat.”

But when Loki goes home to his empty and lonely apartment he realizes that he might just maybe like owning a cat.

The next day Loki walked up to Natasha and said, “I changed my mind and I want a cat. Can I still have one?”

“Of course.” Natasha turns around with a smirk. “But there’s only a black one left.”

“That’s fine.” Loki said. He had never been a real superstitious guy.

And that’s how Loki got his cat. During the six years he had spent with Thor he hadn’t wanted one because they were so much work and he wasn’t sure about the ability to raise one.

But armed with a few cat books, and a lot of internet research Loki felt a little prepared.

“Hello Felicity.” Loki said one morning when they were sitting together while he ate breakfast. He had been watching _The Fantastic Mr. Fox_ the night before he adopted his cat and came up with the name then.

Felicity seemed to like Loki so far. She was six months old, had just been spayed so she wouldn’t have kittens and was so cute. He had decide to leave her claws in. It didn’t feel right removing a part of her.

Loki spoiled her rotten. He got her a cat tree so that she wouldn’t be bored in his little apartment, and he bought all sorts of toys for her and the best kitten food. She was super affectionate too and always wanted to be in Loki’s lap or sleeping with him or wanting to be held.

Loki loved Felicity. He wasn’t as lonely with her around. And he realized that he didn’t mind having a cat. Maybe Thor had been onto something about them getting a pet.

Thinking about Thor made Loki sad. Because it had been two months by now since the break and Thor had probably had a few encounters with other people and Loki couldn’t help missing him.

Every time Loki wanted to call Thor he would instead pick up Felicity and call one of his friends and see what they were doing.

The next few months passed easily. Loki fell into the routine of caring for Felicity, working, writing and clubbing with his new friends. He and Sif met up often too, and she went with him to the bars once. It had been a lot of fun to get so drunk together that Sif had been dancing with strangers on the dancefloor and Loki had had girls give him lap dances (for free.)

The weather turned colder, Loki spent Halloween at Natasha’s house at a raging party where he ended up dancing with four other people and went home with one for some fun. (Sex.)

Thanksgiving came and went. Which Loki spent with Bucky’s family with Steve Rogers and Sam. It was a fun time. He hadn’t celebrated a real thanksgiving brother in a long time. And everyone liked him after he said that he was thankful for all his new friends (and his cat Felicity.)

But when December struck with freezing fingers Loki got a little concerned. He had spent the last four Christmas dinners with Thor’s family. But now that they were split up he couldn’t spend it with Thor.

So what would Loki do?

He steeled his resolve and bought a little Christmas tree for his apartment. He would spend it with Felicity. He wasn’t religious anyway, so he would just snuggle with his kitten and watch some movies.

But like before, Natasha was already on top of the issue.

“Do you have a passport?” She asked when Loki walked into work.

“Yeah.” Loki said.

“Good. Because my parents want to meet you. They want to know if you want to spend Christmas with us.” Natasha asked. “In Russia.”

Loki blinked at her. How did her parents hear about him? And furthermore, Russia? Loki hardly travels outside the city could he really handle traveling internationally?

But then he remembered how long he had been wanting to travel. And while he had never considered Russia because of its linguistic differences, he didn’t mind it as a destination.

“I would love to.” Loki said. “Thanks. Did you know that I was going to be alone?”

“You always spent it with your boyfriend. I didn’t want you to be alone just because you two broke up.” Natasha said. “And Russia is beautiful this time of year.”

Sif was hesitant about caring for Felicity. But she reluctantly agreed.

Loki brought Felicity over the day he was leaving for Russia. He had her in a cat purse, the cat tree and a bag full of her food and her bowl and some of her toys. He was a little overzealous.

“I typed you a list of how to care for Felicity.” Loki said as he pressed the paper into Sif’s hands. “When to feed her and how to hold her and what to do if she starts clawing the furniture.”

“Oh wow.” Sif said as she looked down at the list. “You’re good at animal parenting.”

“I try. She’s my baby I have to take care of her.” Loki said as she brushed up against her leg.

“Where are you off to for Christmas?” Sif asked. She knows that Loki is not close with his family.

“My friend from work. We’re going to Russia to meet her family.”

Sif looked surprised. Loki and Thor had hardly traveled anywhere other than Thor’s parent’s house for holidays. And now Loki was going all the way to Russia. But Sif didn’t comment on it and wished him luck.

Christmas in Russia turned out to be the best thing ever. It was bitterly cold, and snow was everywhere. But Loki had so much vodka, so much borsht, so much corned beef and so much fun.

Natasha’s parents may or may not have been Russian mafia leaders. The jury is out on that one. But they were nice people. Apparently they wanted to meet Loki because they wanted to know what kind of men Natasha was working with. And Loki appeared to pass the test.

Moscow was beautiful, and they even went to St. Petersburg for a few days and saw the domes and it was breathtaking. It was the best decision Loki had ever made.

However, in between stuffing his face with borsht and drinking vodka Loki missed Thor. He would see the little trees some people had in stores and think about how he and Thor would always decorate their own. But he would shake his head and turn back to his vodka then, because he and Thor had an agreement and six months had already passed.

Loki got a few messages from Sif while he was in Russia and most were pictures of Felicity to prove that the cat was doing well.

On Christmas morning Loki got up with Natasha and they all went into the living room and opened presents.

Loki had been surprised to find a gift for him. And his eyes bugged out when he opened it and it was a computer. A really really nice expensive one.

“It is in Russian, but you can change the language.” Natasha’s father said in his terrifying Russian accent. “Natalia tells us that you like to write. So we got you a nice computer. You will write beautiful stories on it.”

For once in his life Loki felt entirely humbled. “Thank you.” Loki said as he stared at it.

“No thanks.” Mr. Romanoff waved them away. “You are a good friend to our daughter and a wonderful house guest.”

And that seemed to settle it.

Loki was a little concerned about the computer being bugged with drone technology or something. But on the plane ride back Natasha just laughed. “It’s not bugged. It would be bugged if you were my boyfriend. But my parents know you’re not. So you’re fine.”

And that’s not exactly what Loki wanted to hear. But he’s fine with it. And he can’t wait to use his new computer.

Loki is still riding the high from Christmas and all the Russian vodka when he met Amora.

He’d gone to a bar with Bucky one night and while they were doing shots a girl sidled up to Loki and pressed herself to him.

Loki turned and his throat went dry. Because this girl was beautiful.

She was blonde and pale and had these wonderful green eyes, and very large breasts.

She leaned across Loki and ordered him a drink. She winked as it was served to Loki.

Loki was hooked.

He liked her easy charm. Her smile. And her dominance.

“I’m Amora.” She said after Loki had taken a sip.

“Loki.” Loki said.

“I want you to take me home.” She says decisively. “I like you.”

Loki takes her home.

And it is the best sex he’s had in months. Her skill is legendary, and all through it she keeps up her dominant nature and Loki is really turned on by it. She reminds him of all the things he likes about girls. Breasts that shake and are so sensitive to touch. The wetness between their legs. He likes it all.

He likes Amora so much because she reminds him of Thor in a way. She’s blonde, but more than that she is assertive and works to get what she wants. She also leaves Loki satisfied in bed like Thor.

Afterward she curls next to him in bed and they sleep.

In the morning Loki wakes up to Amora cooing at Felicity where she has jumped up on the bed with them.

“I love the cat.” Amora said she looks Loki in the eye and winks. Loki still likes her in the morning.

“Do you want some coffee?” He asks as he sits up and stretches.

“Oh yes.” She said as she sat up. “That would be lovely.”

“I only have instant.” Loki tells her from his little kitchen.

“That’s fine.” She calls.

Loki returns with the cups and she has sprawled on the bed and made the sheets cover her in a seductive manner. Her eyes are hooded as she looks up at him.

They end up having sex again.

Afterwards Loki makes them toast and they reheat their coffee.

“I put my number in your phone.” Amora says as she gathers her clothes. “I would like to go on a date with you.”

Loki’s heart tightens. Thor said no dates… But this is different. Amora probably just wants to meet up again and eat something and then return to sex. And sex is fine. It’s what they agreed on. Thor has probably had lots of sex by now, Loki can have a little fun too.

“Of course. I’ll text you.” Loki promises.

They go to one of the fancier restaurants in town and have their first date. Which is really more of a contest to see who can say the most innuendos.

Loki’s eyes bulge when he sees the face Amora makes when she takes a bite of her cake. Really. Someone as attractive as her shouldn’t be interested in him.

They fall into bed together shortly after they leave the restaurant. And they don’t leave for several hours.

Loki feels a bit of guilt the next few days at work. He made the agreement with Thor because he thought that Thor wanted to have sex with other people. And here Loki is, going on dates and having sex with a beautiful girl he met in a bar. It feels a little wrong.

But Amora is like a drug. Loki can’t quite get her out of his system.

They go on a second date and Loki knows he’s sinking when he finds out that she loves classical literature. They end up nerding out together over Orwell and Dostoyevsky. And the sex that night is more emotional than it’s been.

Their third date Loki finds out that Amora wants to read his books. He almost combusts when she says it. And that night they don’t have sex. Amora has Loki read excerpts from his books to her. They have a lot of sex the next day.

A month passes when Loki realizes that he is developing feelings for Amora. Exactly what Thor didn’t want him to do.

But once again doubts have entered Loki’s mind. What if Thor has met someone new? What if Thor met someone who he can so easily see himself with?

But Loki doesn’t think that he can love Amora as much as Thor. But he can tell that they are extremely compatible.

It’s been more than half a year since Loki has even seen Thor. All their shared friends haven’t said how Thor is or if Thor is dating someone else.

So Loki decides that fuck it all, he likes Amora. He’s going to keep seeing her.

They go on a fourth date. And a fifth date.

And eventually two parts of his life collide.

On the night that he was set to meet up with Amora Sif called and asked if he would like to hang out with her and Hogunn and Fandral. And Loki asks if he can bring Amora.

And that was how Sif met Amora.

If Sif or the others thought it was odd that Loki brought a date they didn’t say so. They had all known how much Thor and Loki had loved each other, so seeing Loki with someone else so soon must have been a little strange.

But the fact that they were hanging out with him after he and Thor had gone on their break was a surprise. Loki hadn’t thought that they would want anything to do with him. Volstagg thought Loki was super skinny and a little weak, Hogunn thought that Loki’s late sleepless nights were bad for his relationship with Thor. And Loki had been pretty sure that Fandral had always wanted to bang Thor.

But yet here they were. Staying friends with Loki. And even meeting the new person Loki was seeing.

Amora was next to him in the booth wearing a sexy skinny black dress. She was pressing her side against Loki because she was ‘cold’ but Loki wasn’t complaining. Whenever Volstagg went on a rant about his roommates Amora leaned in and pressed her lips into Loki’s cheek. He then would turn and kiss the top of her head.

“How long have you two been together?” Sif asked after she downed the rest of her beer. She was drinking more than usual.

“Not very long.” Amora giggled. She had already put quite a bit of alcohol away and Loki knew she would ask to leave soon. “We’re still in our puppy love phase.”

Loki laughed as he wrapped his arm around her. “So we still like each other.” He whispered into her ear. He could feel her shiver and then one of her hands slithered into his lap. They both smiled at each other and she leaned forward and pressed her lips into his.

Thor had never been into this much PDA. Loki had never cared. And if it made Amora happy then he was fine with it. But it appeared that the others were just a little uncomfortable.

Loki knew that it probably wasn’t wise to show Amora to Thor’s friends. But after he’d had a few shots and had Amora acting all cuddly he couldn’t quite reason to say no. He liked her. Not as much as he had liked Thor, but Thor wasn’t around. He was probably out with tons of people these days. He had always been better looking than Loki.

After another hour of chatting Amora caved in and asked to leave. Loki said goodbye to everyone then followed Amora outside.

She turned around on the sidewalk outside the bar and smiled up at him. And she looked so beautiful in the lights from the street. Loki leaned down to kiss her and she leaned up to kiss him. It quickly turned passionate, and Loki got a little overzealous.

He heard someone clear their throat and they separated to see Sif barely hiding a glare at them.

She stepped forward and clapped a hand on Loki’s shoulder. “It was good to see you.” She said. “I wish you well.” The look she gave Amora was a little indecipherable.

“You too.” Loki said.

Loki haled a cab and once they were back at his apartment they fell into bed together.

Loki and Amora went on a few dates before Amora came to his house one day and told him she met someone else.

“I’m so sorry.” She said with sad eyes. “But I met someone else and they want to take the relationship to the next level and be exclusive.”

Loki blinked at her. “That’s fine.” He said. It really was. He liked Amora, but if she found someone else he was happy for her. “We don’t have to have sex anymore. But can we still be friends?”

Amora’s face broke into a grin and she threw her arms around his neck. “I would love to!” She squealed.

And that was how Loki got his first best friend.

Loki had usually been a loner. Thor had been his closest companion for years, but now he had Natasha, and Sif and Bucky and now Amora.

Loki knew he and Amora would probably always be a bit too close of friends due to their past sleeping together. But they quickly found out that they were just fine as friends. She was still super affectionate with him, always hugging him and still holding his hand. And Loki liked it. He liked knowing that Amora was proud to be around him and not afraid to be affectionate in public.

Thor had always wanted their displays of affection limited to their home and whenever they were alone. But Amora didn’t care if they were alone at Loki’s house or if they were out shopping. She treated him just the same.

It had been a little sad to turn their little relationship into a friendship. But not nearly as heartbreaking as it would have been if it were Thor. And now that they were just friends, Sif was cool hanging out with them again. Apparently it had been weird to see Loki with someone else so soon.

The next few weeks passed easily again. Loki went out with Natasha and her friends, or Amora or Sif and the others. And when he wasn’t with them or working he was at home with Felicity. And he was happy.

He still missed Thor a lot.

The date approached. They date when the year had passed and their agreement was up.

On the day Loki stood in his house and held his phone up. His finger was poised over Thor’s contact. But he couldn’t bring himself to call.

What if Thor had met someone else? Loki didn’t think he would meet Amora during his year and they had almost started a real relationship. Thor had probably gotten tired of waiting for Loki to really trust him and tired of Loki’s anxiety and had moved on.

The thought made Loki sad. But he figured that it was better this way. He had enough people in his life that he could go on now. He didn’t need Thor. He wanted him. And he would always want Thor. But Loki figured Thor was probably happy now without Loki.

So Loki picked up Felicity and called Natasha to see if she wanted to go get drinks with him.

The next weekend Amora’s boyfriend broke up with her. And that Friday she and Loki went out on the town.

They ended up completely wasted in a bar dancing on tables together and kissing. They were kicked out of that bar shortly.

They got back to Loki’s apartment and passed out in his bed without trying to do anything even slightly sexual. They were both still in their clothes.

Loki woke up with a really bad headache and Amora and Felicity both in his bed. He sighed but got up to pee and after he’d washed his hands he fed Felicity and then got two cold glasses of water.

Amora was sitting up when he returned and she looked pretty worn out. Her makeup was smeared, her hair was tangled but she was still beautiful.

“Remind me not to go to the bars to feel better about a break up.” Amora joked when Loki handed her the cup of water.

“Will do.” Loki yawned and crawled back out of bed. “I don’t think I’m getting up today.” He knew this wasn’t true. He was going to the movies with Natasha and the others later. Wes Anderson had a new movie out and they were all going to see it.

“I got lipstick all over your face.” Amora giggled and tried to wipe it away.

Loki just brushed her hand away and smiled at her. “Leave it. I’m sure the rest of me looks pretty bad too.”

Amora’s eyes raked over his body. “You look like you had fun.” She murmured. She brushed a hand through Loki’s hair. “I love your hair when it’s curly.”

“Hmm.” Loki said. He had always been a vain man so hearing that someone liked his curly hair was a very nice thing to hear.

They lounged in bed together for a few more minutes before they got up and Loki made them some toast.

After that Amora left with her shoes in one hand and a kiss to Loki’s cheek. She promised that they would hang out soon.

Loki scooped Felicity’s litter box, washed his hands and brushed his teeth and laid down on his bed. He was closing his eyes and rubbing his head when there was a knock at the door.

He sat up and looked at the door. Who was it? Amora hadn’t forgotten anything and he wasn’t set to go to the movies until much later. He looked down at himself and knew he looked a little rough. But he got up and answered it anyway.

He stood there dumbly when he opened the door and saw Thor standing there.

Thor looked great. His clothing looked clean and wrinkle free, unlike Loki’s entire outfit. Loki froze when he saw the look on Thor’s face.

Because Thor looked furious.


	2. RIP to the girl you used to see...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter has been brought to you by Rita Ora.

“Hello Thor.” Loki said nervously. In his ribcage his heart was beating a mile a minute. This was not good. How had Thor found him? And how much did Thor know?

“We need to talk.” Thor said darkly.

Loki’s stomach dropped. “Yeah.” He said nervously. “But if you want to do that another time we can, I’m a little hung-over right now—“

“Right now is fine.” Thor said as he barged in.

If Loki’s appearance was a little unkempt then the apartment was a disaster. It was mostly clean, Loki liked to clean every night before bed. Except last night he and Amora had been stumbling around in the dark. And not in a sexy way. They had been way too drunk.

A chair at Loki’s little table was knocked over, there was an empty wine bottle beside the bed as well as two glasses. Felicity was still sleeping in the bed but she lifted her head when she heard Thor’s heavy steps.

“Do you want to wash the lipstick off your face before we talk?” Thor said without even looking at Loki.

Loki knew it was more of a command then a question and he stepped into the bathroom and washed most of it away.

“So Thor, first of all I’m sorry but—“ The words died on Loki’s tongue when he saw Thor petting Felicity.

It dawned on him. Thor hadn’t met Felicity. She was such an important part of Loki’s life, and Thor had never known about her.

“Is this your cat or your lady friend’s?” Thor asked again without even looking at Loki.

“She’s mine.” Loki answered and cringed a little. How often had Thor asked about a pet and how often had Loki said no? And only a month after he had moved out he ended up adopting a cat.

Thor turned around from his seat on the bed and looked at Loki. His expression was hard and hurt.

“I am very upset with you Loki.” Thor said calmly.

Loki had to respect the fact that Thor wasn’t screaming or throwing things. He had always had a nasty temper. But not this time. Now he was being calm and collected. He knew that Loki didn’t like yelling or throwing things.

Loki’s heart hurt. He had never meant to hurt Thor… He had only thought that Thor had surely found someone else as well. Loki sat down on a chair across the room. Away from Thor and he looked down at his feet. “I guessed as much.” He muttered.

“You know Loki. I only agreed to this because I didn’t want you to be anxious. I never want you unhappy in your home.” Thor said as he continued to pet Felicity. “I thought that if you had your year by yourself you would realize that I do love you and that I will always love you.”

Thor closed his eyes then and looked pained. “And then I found out that you were more than happy. Sif told me that you had a new girlfriend and you were so happy with her. And I just have to ask why? Why would you do that?”

Loki pushed his fingers into his hair and rubbed his scalp.

“Because I’m an idiot.” Loki said quietly. “I wasn’t thinking.”

“No you weren’t.” Thor said.

Loki looked up at him. Thor looked so out of place in Loki’s rumpled bed.

“I thought that you had probably met someone else as well.” Loki whispered. “I guess that was how I justified it. But we were never exclusive or anything. I mean I wasn’t sleeping with anyone else, but she was still meeting people. And she ended our little fling because she met someone else.” Loki explained. “I knew that I couldn’t love her the way I loved you, so I didn’t try to make it into something it wasn’t.”

“But you were in love with her.” Thor levelled a glare at Loki.

“I was. But only for a while. We’re friends now, and we are very happy as friends.” Loki said.

“Did you really think I had met someone else?” Thor asked after a few minutes.

Loki raised an eyebrow. “Have you seen yourself? Of course I thought that you had met someone else. There’s lots of people who would love to be intimately and emotionally involved with you.”

Thor gave Loki an indecipherable look. “There has never been someone else.” He said.

Loki’s jaw dropped. “Even in all the free time I gave you?” He asked incredulously.

“There wasn’t anyone else.” Thor said. “I didn’t want them. I wanted you. But you were here having all sorts of single bachelor fun.” Thor looked around the little apartment resentfully.

“Obviously I didn’t have the best time ever.” Loki said. “I adopted a cat because I got really lonely. But I thought that I was doing the right thing. If I let you have a year of freedom then you would be more likely to stay with me.”

“Or you could have just listened when I said that I love you.” Thor countered. “And you could have trusted me, as your boyfriend of six years that I would want to stay with you.”

“I just felt so doubtful about it.” Loki said. He remembered then how nice it had felt when Amora kissed him and held his hand in public. It had never been over the top PDA, but it had sent warm butterflies in his stomach. “You never hold my hand in public.”

“What does that have to do with this?”

Loki scratched his head. “I just… I realized that I wish you were more affectionate in public.” Loki looked up at Thor then. “Amora is affectionate in public… And I liked it.”

Thor looked like he was at a loss for words. “But I always thought that you wanted that just at home.” He said. “Everybody already knew we were together. I didn’t think it mattered if we did anything in public.”

Loki looked down. “It felt nice. It made me know that she wanted to be with me. I didn’t feel like she didn’t want me there.”

“Did you think I didn’t want you there?” Thor asked very very quietly.

Loki swallowed dryly. “It always felt like your friends just put up with me because we were dating. And that you guys were happier when I wasn’t around.” Loki closed his eyes and tried to will away his tears. He switched topics back to the current one. “I know what I did was wrong though. And I understand if you don’t want me back.”

“You can’t say that.” Thor said as he stood up. “I am very upset with you. But now I know a way to fix this. To fix us.” Thor said. “I cannot stand the idea that some woman someone named Amora had her hands on you. And it is horrifying to think about you two falling in love.”

“But I always loved you more.” Loki said quietly. “I never loved her the way I loved you. I just thought that there wasn’t a way you could love me like I loved you.”

“I love you enough to let you leave me for a year and have sex with whoever you wanted.” Thor said. “And nothing had ever hurt that much.”

Loki laughed wetly and wiped at his eyes. “I thought that when you agreed you wanted other people.”

By then Thor was kneeling in front of Loki. He took Loki’s hands in his. His blue eyes were staring into Loki’s. “We’re not good at communicating.” Thor said easily. “We need to stop assuming the worst of each other.”

“You can assume the worst about me.” Loki looked away.

“I thought that you had already moved on.” Thor admitted. “I thought that you didn’t want to be with me. I always thought that you wanted someone smarter than me. Someone who can keep up with you.”

Loki didn’t know if Amora counted as someone who ‘keeps’ up with him. She is certainly very smart. Though. But they spend so much time together drinking that they hadn’t had too many deep discussions or anything.

“And when Sif told me you found someone else it broke my heart.” Thor said. “I would never have dated someone else. I love you.”

“Amora and I ultimately decided we were better off as friends.” Loki defended them. “But sex was a part of the equation for a long time. But we’re not together now. I didn’t love her as much as I love you. And I probably won’t ever love anyone that much.” Loki said.

“So where does that leave us?” Thor asked.

Loki stood up then. “I guess it leaves us here. I broke my promise to you. I said I’m sorry. And we’ll both move on.” He said. “We’ll both go on with our lives.”

“Separately?” Thor asked as he looked around the little apartment.

Loki shrugged and picked up the wine bottle and glasses going into the kitchen. “I don’t think we can get back together. I wasn’t faithful to you.”

Thor sighed. “Loki. You’ve been the best thing to ever happen to me. And even though I am upset, I have to admit that they were odd circumstances. I don’t know when I’ll be able to completely forgive you. But I don’t want you to go.” Thor took a few steps around. “You have alcohol out, your bed smells like women’s perfume, you have a cat, and you look like some sort of porn star with your hair and your shirt unbuttoned to your stomach. I feel like I’m meeting a different you.”

Loki raised an eyebrow. He wouldn’t describe his look as attractive at all. But Thor was always like that. Seeing Loki as beautiful when he wasn’t.

“What if we started dating again?” Thor asked. “We can start over. We don’t have to move back in together. But I don’t like the idea of letting you go. I can’t do that. It will hurt too much.”

“Are you sure you want to do that?” Loki asked.

“Yeah.” Thor said. “I am.”

Loki nodded. “Alright.” He said.

And then Thor was leaning up and pressing his lips softly into Loki’s. It was their first kiss in more than a year, and it was slightly awkward at first. Loki had been kissing Amora recently, and she had different tastes and techniques than Thor.

But he and Thor could reach other like a book. And Thor wasted no time before his hands were smoothing down Loki’s back. He unbuttoned the rest of Loki’s shirt and slid it off his shoulders. And once Loki’s torso was bare Thor wrapped his arms around Loki. One of his hands dipping down to caress Loki’s sharp hipbone. Thor’s hand slipped down and hooked under Loki’s thigh, lifting the leg. Loki gasped at how strong Thor was, it was strange to have someone who could manhandle him around after Amora’s slim body.

Thor lifted Loki up easily and Loki aided him by wrapping his arms and legs around Thor. Felicity jumped off the bed right before they landed on it.

“I missed you.” Thor growled as he pressed himself against Loki.

“I can tell.” Loki said as he looked up at Thor as he began to undo his pants. Thor’s large hands covered his and he worked on undoing the button and pulling the zipper down.

Like an expert, Thor yanked Loki’s pants and boxers off. Taking a moment to appreciate Loki’s black silk boxers.

“I like them.” Thor said as he held them up. “I should get a pair.”

“They’re comfortable.” Loki almost blushed. But then his own fingers were rolling up the hem of Thor’s shirt. Thor grinned down at him but allowed Loki to pull the shirt over his head.

Loki’s hands slid down Thor’s chest and stomach while Thor rid himself of his clothes.

“Where is your lube?” Thor asked once they were both naked.

“It’s right here.” Loki said as he reached into a drawer next to his bed. “Will you go slow? I haven’t done this in months.”

Thor took the small tube and pressed his lips to Loki’s temple. “I won’t hurt you.” He whispered into Loki’s ear.

Instead of reaching for Loki’s entrance, Thor wrapped his hand around Loki’s cock. His hand was coated in lube and he stroked Loki slowly.

Loki threw his head back and moaned. Thor’s hand was so much larger and warmer than he remembered, but so gentle.

“Thor.” Loki moaned after a minute. He smoothed a hand over Thor’s blond hair.

Thor smiled at him. Before pressing Loki’s hips down to the bed and shuffling until he was poised over Loki’s cock. Loki’s eyes widened and both of his hands grabbed Thor’s hips.

“Thor you can’t—you didn’t!” Loki stuttered before he felt the head of his cock nudging against Thor’s slick entrance, and as Thor slid down Loki’s mouth formed a perfect ‘o’ and his eyes screwed shut.

It took all Loki’s willpower not to violently push into Thor. To let Thor go the speed he wanted. Pleased thrills were going up and down Loki’s spine. Thor had prepared himself before coming here, Thor had wanted to do this.

Thor lifted himself up and slid back down. He was biting his lip and Loki was trying to not think about how hot it looked. And then the second time Thor lifted up one of his hands reached out and set next to Loki’s head on the pillow. He leaned down and Loki could hear the little noises and breaths he made as he sank down on Loki.

It was unfair how erotic Thor sounded. He leaned down and whispered into Loki’s ear, “Did you miss me?”

And Loki just wrapped his arms around Thor and kissed him furiously. “I never stopped thinking about you.” Loki said. And then he moaned as Thor rolled his hips forward, and slammed down on him.

Loki reached out and wrapped a hand around Thor, and hearing his high pitched moan was one of the best noises Loki had heard in months. He stroked Thor and pushed his hips up as Thor slammed down again. Both of them moaned furiously and Thor had to use his other hand to stabilize himself as he rode Loki.

Loki made sure that Thor orgasmed first, and he was only a few seconds behind.

Afterward Thor all but collapsed onto the bed beside Loki.

“It is good to have you back.” Thor yawned as he pulled Loki against him.

Loki tried to squirm away. “I cannot smell good right now. How about I go shower?” He asked.

Thor laughed. “I have slept with you stinking like sweat and alcohol before. Come. Let’s go to sleep.”

Loki relaxed beside Thor and eventually fell to sleep.

Loki moved back in with Thor six months later. During the six months they went on dates and out with Thor’s friends. And Thor started holding Loki’s hand when they were out.

And when their friends weren’t looking Thor would lean over and kiss Loki gently on the face.

Amora slapped Loki lightly on the arm when she found out about Thor.

“I can’t believe you were already dating someone!” She said as she crossed her arms and looked away. “Why didn’t you tell me you weren’t allowed to date? We would never have dated in the first place! Now I feel bad.”

Loki looked sheepishly down at his feet. “I’m sorry.” He said. “I wasn’t really thinking at the time. I wanted to apologize. I hope we can still be friends.”

“Of course we can still be friends.” Amora said with a smirk. “You’re the first best friend I’ve ever had. I want to meet your boyfriend now. He needs to know if he breaks your heart I’ll break him.”

Amora threating Thor to his face was one of the most pleasing things Loki had ever seen. No one had ever told Thor that if he hurt Loki he would be hurt back. Until Amora.

Thor had not been looking forward to meeting Amora. He thought that since they had dated for a few months that Amora and Loki might still run off with each other.

Thor had not expected Amora to march up to him in the bar they were all meeting in and say, “Hello. I’m Amora. I’m Loki’s _best friend_ and I’m serious about him. So don’t get any ideas.”

Was it Amora’s place to talk to Thor like that? Probably not. Was the whole situation weird since both Amora and Thor had slept with Loki? Absolutely. But it was one of the most heartwarming things Loki had ever seen.

“I love him.” Thor said. “I will never hurt Loki.”

“Good.” Amora said. Then she looped arms with both of them and led them to get drinks.

Loki felt like Thor and Amora would always feel a bit of rivalry between them. But they got along well enough, and it was nice to see Thor interacting with Loki’s friend.

Thor met Natasha and the others, but didn’t always make it out to the bars and clubs with them. Thor worked in construction management and was always tired after work. So he only made it out half the time. But that was enough for Loki. And at least he knew that someone was home if Felicity needed something.

One such night was about a year and a half after Loki and Thor had moved back in and gotten together. Their relationship was so much better than it had been, and even thought their year apart had almost broke them up Loki was glad for it. Because it brought a richness his life had been lacking.

“Amora and I are going out to the bar.” Loki told Thor. “Are you coming?”

Thor shook his head. He was on the couch with Felicity and already had the television on. “I’m too tired.” Thor said. “But I hope you have fun.”

Loki nodded. “Alright. Get some rest.” He said.

Loki met up with Amora at the bar and they found a table and started drinking.

“I’ve had the worst week.” Amora whined as she sagged against Loki. “My boss is so mean to me!”

Loki laughed and rested his head on top of hers. “Felicity threw up in Thor’s shoe the other day.” He giggled. “She was mad that he had to leave for a few days for work.”

“You have the worst cat.”

By then they were both giggling hysterically and were more than a little tipsy.

Amora dragged Loki out to the dance floor and they swayed together.

During a slower song Amora stepped closer to him and reached a hand around his neck. It was like an embrace, but they had talked about boundaries and Thor was fine with them dancing. Not that Thor was here to freak out.

They were almost grinding on each other and laughing like teenagers when someone grabbed Loki and spun him around. When Loki looked up his face broke into a huge smile when he saw that it was Thor.

“You made it.” Loki purred as he kissed Thor quickly.

“Of course I did.” Thor kissed him back. “Amora.” He said and sent her a weird look. Loki swore they had their own language sometimes.

“Don’t I get a kiss?” Amora asked with a wink.

“Maybe another time.” Thor said with a laugh. “I wanted to spend some time with Loki.”

Amora sighed with a fake flourish. “You two are just so _committed._ It’s nauseating.” She said before she kissed Loki lightly on the cheek and danced away. “Have fun!” She said before looking for someone else to dance with.

Thor pulled a tissue out of his pocked and wiped the lipstick away. “I swear she does it on purpose.” Thor said once it was gone.

“Once she found out how much it bothered you she wanted to do it all the time.” Loki said mischievously. “Are you going to replace it?” He asked.

Thor smirked before pressing his lips and giving Loki’s cheek a suckling kiss right on the spot.

“Ew.” Loki said before he pressed even closer to Thor and kissed his neck.

They danced together for a song before Thor was pulling Loki outside. “There’s something I want you to see!” Thor said cheerfully.

Outside the bar it was cold and the music was faint, and they were both illuminated in the bar lights. Thor looked wonderful.

“Yes?” Loki asked as he looked around. The street was deserted.

Thor reached into a pocked and pulled something out, Loki didn’t get to see what it was. Because before Loki could get a look at it Thor was sinking down to one knee and holding something out to him.

_No way he isn’t—_

He is.

“Loki. I know our relationship hasn’t always been perfect, but I’ve been thinking about the future a lot, and I realized that I want you in it no matter what.” Thor said as he opened the little black box and revealed a silver band of metal. “I love you more than anyone or anything, and I wanted to know if you would marry me.”

Loki covered his mouth with a hand and stepped back. Was this for real?

They hadn’t ever talked about marriage. And Loki hadn’t given it much thought. He’d always assumed he would stay single or just be Thor’s boyfriend forever. He’d always been a little afraid of commitments like this. What if Thor realized he didn’t want Loki?

But marriage hadn’t seemed so scary in the last few months. In fact, the thought of marrying Thor and legally saying, ‘this is my family’ had started to appeal to him.

“I will.” Loki said and then he started crying like the sap he secretly was.

Thor took Loki’s hand and slid the ring onto the left ring finger. And it fit perfectly… Loki had no idea how Thor could have figured out his ring size. But knowing his friend circle he wouldn’t be surprised if it were Natasha’s doing.

“I love you.” Thor said as he stood up and held Loki’s hand.

Very few couples would propose marriage outside of a bar on a cold night. But Loki had never been a perfectionist when it came to love.

“I love you too.” Loki said as he kissed Thor.

The door to the bar opened a minute or so later and a tipsy Amora stepped out.

“He did it!” She cheered. She slugged Thor on the arm before handing them both champagne.

Loki sipped his champagne and looked up at Thor. And the moment was perfect. Loki had never thought about what the perfect marriage proposal would be, but this one would trump them all. It was perfect in its own way.

And as he and Thor laced fingers and went into the bar Loki realized that he was happy. For maybe the first time in forever.


End file.
